A little bit more than patriotism. A little bit lower than jingoism. ---
Nirendra Dev

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

A Journo's Jaundiced View: 100 days of Modi Sarkar

"The press in India is free, but co-operative, ” wrote John Kenneth
Gaibraith once.

The truth of the matter is the Indian media also seeks "all kinds of cooperation" from the power that be!

As the nation,
sickularists and ‘Modiban’ (read Narendra Modi admirers) debate 100 days of the
Modi Sarkar, one is confronted with the possible idea that if Namo that is Modi
did not exist, the country would have to invent him.

The analogy is
not mine original as decades back an ardent observer of Chinese developments
had written that: “If China did not exist, we would have to invent her”.

So, why this
pompous flattery on the eve of mere 100 days in office by Prime Minister Modi?

While the
Congress and other opposition parties are finding fault with anything and
everything, he and his government is doing; others find no faultline.

Opinions about Modi Sarkar are divided right across the spectrum.

At one end there
is admiration for Modi’s pro-reforms agenda, muscular diplomacy and initiatives
to build up investors’ confidence; at the other there is deeply repressive view of those
who believe Modi is “harmful to a pluralist India” and that the country has
already plunged into a verge of catastrophe and communal frenzy.

On one
dedicated day, a leading newspaper published columns of three noted anti-Modi
opinion makers: Mark Tully, Karan Thapar and Ramchandra Guha.

"The first 100 days of the Modi raj indicate that India doesn't have a listening
prime minister. It is therefore possible, I believe, that he will become
isolated from reality," Tully almost passed a judgement despite the fact that past is a testimony as in Gujarat, Modi was found to be most ear-on-ground neta.

Karan Thapar was more emphatic in sharing his venom asking, "Has
the BJP taken leave of its senses?" Guha similarly had his analysis on how incumbent Prime Minister is not sparing his rivals in his public outbursts!

The basic lesson
of journalism ‘B for Balance’ from the starting classroom: A, B, C was obviously
missing. But who bothers?

Moreover, there is
little to dispute that the media in the country or at least in the Lutyen’s
city is particularly perturbed ever since the NDA-2 took over.

At times, at the
crowded press club and media centre, one often gets the impression that for
journos, column writers and TV-show experts; a corrupt regime of UPA-2 was
‘better’ than NDA-2 under irreplaceable Narendra Modi.

The ‘gag’ order on
ministers from the PMO has left the journalists baying for blood of Modi, who
incidentally is commanding good respect even from ally ministers like Ram Vilas
Paswan.

The silent of ministers and seldom off the record briefings and news-plantations
for select media persons has only exposed the so called ‘efficacy of Delhi’s fourth estate’.

“Why there is no
briefing for cabinet meetings?” is often heard oneliner these days in the
corridors of power.

In the process, the
efficient army of Delhi’s
journalists have hardly anything to report about. Actually, for long the
‘information’ came walking to the journalists. The more vulnerable you were to
be misused for news-plantations by netas, you were more efficient journalists
in Delhi. But owing
to Modi’s gag order, even the likes of Paswan has gone silent. There is no off
the record briefing about what transpired at cabinet ministers. So some people
are almost jobless.

India watcher: Mark Tully

Journalism used to
be fun in Delhi
but no longer.

So what does
efficient magazine writers and editors, TV-debaters among
journalists-turned-members of 'Sarkari commissions' etc etc have every right to
“curse” the incumbent regime and the chief architect the Prime Minister himself.

In the meantime,
the junket travel in PM’s special Air India aircraft overseas has been
also curtailed, least forgetting perhaps that those who traveled abroad really
reported back for newspapers. In many cases, owners themselves traveled with PM
and high and mighty and ‘reporting’ was left for some other day and for lesser
mortals!

These only make it
obvious that journalists from English media in particular put on the ‘secular
mark’ on their sleeves. So, the best option is to lambaste at the Modi government
and demand that the ‘news-planting’ operations be revived. Journalism can be
made a good business again!! Apni Dukan chalni chahiye !!

Tail Piece:

But in spite of
sharper criticism of Modi regime and his party, hardly anyone expects the
government to fall or the party to split suddenly. Perhaps very few critics except
the likes of immensely talented Lalu Prasad, Prakash Karat and H D Deve Gowda
breed --- or Mani Shankar Aiyar and Nitish Kumar with a pathological hatred –
call for such a collapse or would say that it is desirable.

The foreign powers
would be scared of the very idea itself as there is a big difference between
Congress strength being reduced to 44 from 200 plus and BJP under Modi losing
the number from 282 to its half.

The chaos in BJP could result in chaos in
Hindutva forces --- sharper divide between hardliners and the rest and so that
could only propel India
to a bigger crisis.

About Me

Author of 'Rainbows and Misty Sky: Windows to North East India';
'HEART ALONE' (A collection of short stories), 'Modi to Moditva: An Uncensored Truth' and other books, 'Ayodhya: Battle for Peace' (2011) ‘Godhra – A Journey To Mayhem’ (2004) and ‘The Talking Guns: North East India’ (2008).